Prasar Bharati, DD News Share 2017 Video Of Marina Beach As Recent

Prasar Bharati and DD Malayalam shared a video from 2017 of a flooded Marina beach in Chennai to misleadingly claim that it shows the aftermath of Cyclone Nivar as it made landfall in Puducherry. The video shows visuals of a flooded beach shot from a moving two wheeler.

Cyclone Nivar made a late-night landfall near Puducherry on November 25, 2020. The tropical storm which weakened to a severe cyclonic storm, caused heavy rainfall with strong winds causing devastation in Chennai, parts of Tamil Nadu and coastal towns in Puducherry. ANI reported at least three people were killed and three others injured in Tamil Nadu. The cyclone which is currently moving in the northwest direction is excepted to turn into a normal cyclonic storm in the South interior districts of Karnataka according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In a now deleted tweet Prasar Bharati News Services said that Marina beach in Chennai was submerged under water as Chennai received heavy rainfall owing to cyclone Nivar. Click here to view the archive of the tweet.

DD News Malayalam's verified Twitter handle retweeted Prasar Bharati's video while reporting a high alert in the southern states hit by the cyclone. Here is an archive. The same video was also shared by DD News Andhra's Facebook page. Click here for an archive of the post.

The video is also viral on Facebook and Twitter with claims that it shows a flooded Marina beach after Cyclone Nivar's landfall.

Fact Check

We ran a keyword search on YouTube with words 'Chennai Marina Beach flooded' and found the same video was uploaded by several users with posts dating back to November 2017.

A channel - Viral Vids, uploaded the same video on November 3, 2017 with the title, "CHENNAI FLOODS 2017 : Marina is missing Marina beach".

Multiple Facebook users have posted the same video in November, 2017 with the caption: Chennai Marina beach . See here and here.

Similar visuals of a flooded Marina Beach in 2017 road can be seen here.

According to news reports Chennai received heavy rainfall for over a week in October - November in 2017. Schools in the city and other coastal towns remained closed for almost a week.

Owing to Cyclone Nivar several roads in Chennai were closed down. Movement of vehicles on the Marina beach front, East Coast Road and the Ennore Express were also stopped on November 25. A news bulletin shows visuals of a waterlogged Marina beach stretch after heavy rainfall due to cyclone Nivar.